Entwined Encounters
by GreenEarthEagle
Summary: A collection of encounters between The Chosen Undead of Lordran, and Solaire, The Knight of Astora, as the two search for their goals.


Entwined Encounters

Running into the saftey of the doorway, Dran slipped to the side of the archway and breathed out. He had survived the great Bull Demon. It had only been two days since he escape from the Undead Asylum; the first day had been spent resting at the place Petrus had called "Firelink Shrine". Petrus claimed to be guarding a girl on some..."Undead Mission", but he refused to tell him what it was. Dran also spoke to a man who never gave his name; the man told him about the two Bells of Awakening. Dran had realised the man was becoming a Hollow; he could see the fear of it, deep in his eyes. He spoken with the man long into the night, before resting for his trip into the so-called "Undead Burg."

The battle with the Demon had been hard; Dran, escaping from the beast, had climbed the tower, depserating trying to flee, the fog forcing him back. The archers suprised him; he had fallen back, in shock. Turning, he accidently implaed the demon's back, causing the beast great pain. With renewed intensity, Dran forced the beast back. With one great bound, he lept forward, implaing the beast with his spear. The beast had given one last mighty roar, and then collapsed, almost taking Dran with him. The archers, however, were not fazed, opening fire on Dran, which lead him to his situation.

Dran dusted off his tattered cloak; he had seen some armour left from the droves of Hollows he had felled, but none suited him. His clothes were seriously tattered, but there wasn't much to hide; he was decaying skin and bones. Purple hair gripped his bony head; he was skinny, but deceptivly strong. The archers were still going at it behind him, so Dran had nowhere to go but forward. Moving briskly down the stairs, he encountered no resistance. Stepping out into the open air once again, he looked to his left; a great bridge, with about four Hollow Soliders spread across it. Dran sighed, brandishing his spear, and charged.

With a roar that scared the lack of soul out of him, a Drake flew above him, spewing fire from his jaws; all the Hollows were fried. Dran, terrified at his great beast, ran the opposite direction. Looking backwards, he ran down the stairs, trying to get away. He ran straight into a knight.  
The knight gave him a curoius look (At least Dran thought so, he could only see his eyes), and then he strechted out his hand to help Dran up.

"Thank You, Knight." Dran nodded to the Knight. The knight bowed. "Ah, You don't look Hollow! Far from it! I was worried for a moment." Dran was slightly worried. "Were you going to stab me?" He looked embaressed. "Well, if you were Hollow...Anyhaps, I am Solaire of Astora, an adherent of the Lord of Sunlight!" Dran was completley unimpressed, unaware about much of this. He knew very little about the world. Quickly changing the subject, Dran answered Solaire, while he asked another question.  
"My birth name is Dran... So, uh, Solaire...Are you human, or Undead?" Solaire gave a booming laugh. "Why, no, I'm not that human anymore...Now that I am Undead, I have come to this great land, the birthplace of Lord Gwyn, to seek my very own sun!"

Now, Dran knew what the sun was, but even he knew what Solaire wished was incredibly far-fetched. He must have given a rude look, for Solaire laughed again, and replied "Do you find that strange? Well, you should!No need to hide your reaction. I get that look all the time!" He clapped Dran on the shoulder, before turning again to gaze upon the sun with a look of (Dran suspected) of love and longing. Dran looked up as well. The sun was bright, and he was suprised Solaire could spend so much time looking at the great god of sunlight. Dran wasn't sure if Solaire wanted him to leave, but after a few minutes, Dran tapped him on his armoured shoulder. Solaire turned once again, and Dran could feel his friendliness emanating from him.

"Oh!" He laughed. "SO, I didn't scare you?" Dran smiled back. "I have a propsition, if you have a moment." Dran considered for a moment, making sure this crazed Knight was good. "Of course, Solaire." He nodded. "The way I see it, our fates appear to be intertwined. In a land brimming with Hollows, could that really be mere change? So, what do you say? Why not help one another on this lonely journey?" Dran had to take a moment to think about this. He had struggled greatly with the Bull Demon, and having a little bit of help would surely not be a bad thing. Making up his mind, he clapped Solaire on the shoulder.  
"Very well, Solaire, Knight of Astora." Solaire nodded, reaching into his armour, pulling somthing out.  
"This pleases me greatly! Well then, take this." He handed Dran a small white object, which Dran had no idea of.

"The flow of time itself is convoluted, with heroes centuries old phasing in and out. The very fabric wavers, and relations shift and obscure. There's no telling how much longer your world and mine will remain in contact." Dran gaped, amazed at the intelligence of this knight who serched for the sun. Solaire laughed again, probably at his reaction. "You look quite amusing, Dran of Firelink Shrine!" Dran gaped even wider. "Yes, I watched you ascend from Firelink Shrine, very...intresting tactics to battle the Taurus Demon!" Dran huffed. Solaire motioned to the object in Dran's hand.  
"But, use this, to summon one another as spirits, cross the gaps between the worlds, and engage in jolly co-operation!" At the words "Jolly co-operation" Dran burst out laughing. Solaire followed suit, and for many minutes the two men laughed like long-time friends. "Oh my...Even with decaying lungs, I didn't think I could laugh that much..." Solaire nodded, still gasping for breath.

"Of course, we are not the only one engaged in this." Solaire continued. "But I am a warrior of the sun! Spot my summon signature easily by its brillian aura. If you miss it, you must be blind!" Judging by his armour, shield, and demenour, Dran made a wild guess and wondered if Solaire was obsessed with the sun."  
The two undead talked for a time, about each other, where they came from. Solaire told Dran about Astora, while Dran spoke about life in the Undead Asylum. Dran spoke about his journey to the Bells of Awakening:  
"The Bells of Awakening...Well, I know the Bell Tower is guared by the Bell Gargoyles...I shall meet you up there, to assist. Deep down, in BlightTown, Quelaag guards her bell...before that, I will see you again." The two undead clapsed hands, a new friendship formed.  
"Thank you, Solaire of Astora. I hope to see you soon. I hope you find your sun." Solaire nodded with glee. "And thee, Dran, I hope you find safe travel. I shall pray to Lord Gwyn, Lord of Cinder that you are protected. We shall do glorious battle upon the church."

Looking back at the sun, Solaire returned to staring up at his sun. Dran, smiling, began to walk away. Solaire spoke once more: "I will stay behind, to gaze at the sun. The sun is a wondrous body. Like a magnificent father! If only I could be so grossly incandescent!" He laughed once more, a great booming laugh, that echoed across the bridge where the Drake still sat. Dran laughed as well, their laughs booming right down to Firelink Shrine, where Petrus of Thourland looked up in bemusment. With one last nod to Solaire, Dran ran forward, unto the bridge, to face down the Drake. Seeing a way past, he began to run, looking forward to seeing his friend again. 


End file.
